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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991993">Unbreak the Broken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mothmans_Ass/pseuds/Mothmans_Ass'>Mothmans_Ass</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd - Freeform, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), dimileth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:40:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mothmans_Ass/pseuds/Mothmans_Ass</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After being asleep for five years, Byleth has trouble sleeping at night. It seems she isn't the only one either.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unbreak the Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this fic is loosely inspired by the song Trainwreck by James Arthur. As I started writing this fic it sort of took its own form but you can probably see parts where the lyrics inspired me. Hopefully, the characters feel right to everyone who reads it, it's hard to write for a character who is pretty silent most of the time and Dimitri is...Dimitri. Either way, I enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As it turns out, being asleep for five years makes it hard to want to sleep for even just a few hours at night. Perhaps it was foolish but there was a part of Byleth that feared if she fell asleep now she wouldn’t wake for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>long </span>
  </em>
  <span>time. That fear alone kept her awake. She knew she needed sleep, if she showed signs of being weak from a lack of sleep it would worry everyone else. So she had confided in both Manuela and Hanneman of her concerns. The former began giving Byleth a potion to help her sleep while the latter began to research the cause of her half-decade slumber and ways to prevent it. They were certain it had to do with Byleth’s connection to the goddess but Hanneman wanted to know the exact mechanics.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The potion worked. Byleth slept throughout the night and she didn’t have an issue waking in the morning. Her sleep was dreamless-which didn’t bother her in the slightest, her dreams weren’t pleasant. She had come to depend on the potion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, as she was getting ready for bed on the eve of the march to Gronder, Byleth discovered that she was out of the sleeping potion. She had been so busy this month, each day filled to the brim with training and planning, that Byleth didn’t realize her supply was steadily dwindling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took twenty-four hours to make a batch so Byleth wouldn’t be able to get any from Manuela tonight. Depending on how tomorrow went the songstress turned physician would probably be far too busy to make more. Byleth was going to have to prepare to go days without proper rest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The former mercenary took a deep breath. Tomorrow was important. She needed to be in top shape if she planned on leading an army. So many lives depended on her guidance, Byleth couldn’t mislead them. It was with this in mind that Byleth decided to at least try and get a little rest. She couldn’t allow this ridiculous fear of hers to rule over her for the rest of her life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She swapped her day clothes for more comfortable bed attire before slipping under the covers. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to drift off to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she laid in the silence, with nothing to occupy her thoughts, Byleth found vicious images flooding her mind. Terrible reminders of the consequences of war. Reminders that at any point the students she watched grow, the students she held so dear, could be killed. The thought sent a pang through her non-beating heart. Before, when it was just her and her father, Byleth had never thought much about death. She killed because she had to. It wasn’t an easy thing to do but Byleth did it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she met the students of Garreg Mach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She watched how </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>reacted to death, attempted to offer them words of comfort when they came to her with fresh blood on their hands. Byleth did what she could to protect them but she also knew coddling them wouldn’t help. They had to be strong. She found she needed them to be able to protect themselves. She advised them, turned back the hands of time when she had to, Byleth did anything. Losing one of her students became an unacceptable fate. She doubted she could bear a time when turning back time wasn’t enough, just as it hadn’t been with her father. Watching the life leave their eyes would wreck her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth felt another pang and decided that she was rested enough. Even if she hadn’t actually gotten any sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat up and pushed herself out of bed, feet hitting the cool floor. She walked over to where she’d sat her boots, leaning against the wall to tug them on. It was late so Byleth wasn’t too concerned with coming across anyone other than the occasional guard so she didn’t bother with changing out of her bedclothes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth stepped out of her room, intending to head to the training grounds. In the dead of night with nothing more than the sound of a few crickets, Byleth felt as though she was the only one here. A ghost who still remained after everyone else had moved on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth was just about to enter the training grounds when she caught sight of a blond head slipping through the shadows. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dimitri. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She watched him a moment, wondering where he was going at this hour. If she could still hear Sothis, Byleth could imagine the goddess telling her to follow him. That she needed to hurry before she lost sight of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her feet were moving before she realized she had reached a decision, her boots moving silently against the stone pathway. Byleth followed her ex-student as he entered the interior of the monastery. As they neared the stairs to the second floor, Byleth wondered if Dimitri was just going to bed and she was following him for no reason. She was already certain that the guards would have a lot to gossip about just at the sight of Byleth in her bedclothes following the future king. They would have a field day if it turned out she was following him to his room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, if the guards did start any rumors Byleth was sure the friendly gatekeeper would tell her tomorrow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They moved outside to cross the bridge that connected the monastery to the cathedral. So it wasn’t just during the day that Dimitri haunted this place, but at night too. With how dark the bags under his eyes were, Byleth </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>assumed he wasn’t getting sleep but she didn’t know how he was spending his time. He certainly wasn’t the chatty type these days so she didn’t plan on asking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should be resting professor, we march at first light tomorrow,” Dimitri spoke suddenly, his back still to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, so he had been aware of her presence. While it wasn’t a surprise, Byleth did wonder why he hadn’t told her to leave him alone sooner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should be resting too,” she points out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rolls his shoulders, tilting his face upwards. “Ah, but how can I sleep when revenge is so close? I will be able to finally bring peace to those who have suffered for so long.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth stayed silent, her brows furrowed as she stared at his back. She wished he would turn and face her so she could look into his eye as he said such venom-soaked words. If only to let it further sink in that this was not the same man who looked at her and everyone else with such kind eyes five years ago. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her wish is granted when he turns, his arms crossed. His eye held the same icy stare that it has had ever since their reunion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he looked at her like that, Byleth wondered if Dimitri resented her for disappearing five years ago. If anyone resented her for that matter. Would things have turned out the same? Would Dimitri be the man he had turned into even if she hadn’t fallen down that chasm?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is the matter professor? The war will die off with the death of that wretched woman. You will not have to worry about losing any of your precious students. That always did worry you, even if you didn’t say anything.” Shadows darkened Dimitri’s features. “It’s foolish, you cannot stop death from coming. Not even one blessed by the goddess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes it unnerved her how well Dimitri could read her. Perhaps he hadn’t always been able to do so but it was definitely a skill he learned quickly. A skill he still retained five years later. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re right,” she agrees. “Even with the skills the goddess blessed me with I cannot prevent death from coming.” She meets his indifferent gaze with her own determined one. “However, I will do everything I can to keep deaths attention away from everyone I hold dear. That includes you too Dimitri.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He laughs, tone mocking. “Is that so? Even after telling you I’d use you and your friends until they were nothing, you would still try to save me? You’re a fool professor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not a fool for wanting people I care about to survive,” she argues. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.” Byleth takes a deep breath, calming herself. It wouldn’t do any good if she became too upset. She sent him an even stare, “You need to rest, you must be alert tomorrow. Sleep will clear your head.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sleep will not come to me,” he tells her. Instead of elaborating, he says, “You seem so concerned with my survival. Should I take this time to pray to the goddess for my protection in battle? We are in the cathedral after all,” Dimitri gestures around them, words dripping in venom. “But who is to say that she will even hear me? I doubt the goddess would reach her hand out to someone as wicked as I.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dim-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Or perhaps I should pray to you-who has been blessed by the goddess herself? Should I kneel then? Bow my head?” He moved as though he was getting ready to do just that, blue eye burning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enough,” she commands. “It doesn’t matter how harsh you try to be, I will protect you just like everyone else. Even if it means giving my own life.” She knew her life was supposed to be important, everyone told her so, but there would come a time when turning back time wouldn’t be enough. It would be then that Byleth would gladly die for any of those she cared about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need you dying to protect me,” he snarls. “I will stay alive until I have killed Edelgard. If you wish to die such a foolish death do it elsewhere. Death will be all that’s left for me after I’ve appeased the dead already waiting for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His reaction gave her pause. Was the reason he didn’t want her dying to protect him because Dimitri didn’t want Byleth to join the chorus of ghosts at his ears? Meaning to some degree he still cared about her? Would wondering such a thing make her foolish? Before, she would have said yes, but ever since the Bridge of Myrddin and reuniting with Dedue there had been a subtle shift in the man before her. It was probably why she pushed so hard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re wrong,” she tells him, her voice softening. “You do have a place, a home even. An entire kingdom waits for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shakes his head in denial, “I am not fit to be a king.” His gaze was blank, “I slaughtered my own people for a chance at revenge. Someone better suited will be appointed. A new line will begin and mine will die with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What will you do if you survive this war? Would you really run away?” Her eyes bore into his, unflinching. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turns away from her once again, his hands falling to his sides. “I am bored of this conversation. Leave me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth slumped her shoulders, Dimitri was stubborn, and with the way he is now she doubted there was any more she could say to get through to him. Maybe she pushed too hard. Maybe Dimitri needed more than just the words of his old professor. Maybe it was foolish for her to even hope to have her friend back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good night then Dimitri,” she says. “Please at least try to rest a little.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t expecting a response and she didn’t receive one, Dimitri stood motionless in front of the rubble. Byleth turned around and began to walk back to her room. She no longer felt like training and just needed time to think. Both about the march tomorrow and Dimitri’s words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes Byleth wished she could still hear Sothis. She wondered what the goddess would say if she had any advice for Byleth. It was in that same line of thought that Byleth wished her father was still alive. He would at the very least have some idea on how to handle Dimitri. Her father understood others better, he always had. Maybe she could talk more with Rodrigue or Gilbert, the two had known Dimitri since he was a child so maybe they could give her valuable insight. Or would Dedue be the best option? Byleth was certain he knew Dimitri best. She would speak with him first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she had asked him what he would do if he survived this war, Byleth had known she wasn’t going to get a proper answer. Even five years ago, Dimitri stayed away from the topic of his future. Even then, he didn’t believe he had one. To see someone as young as he reject the idea of a future was tragic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t matter what he said, Byleth refused to let him die a pointless death. She would not do that to the boy who had so kindly offered to show her around the grounds of Garreg Mach. Who so sweetly told her it was mesmerizing to see her happy. Byleth wouldn’t stop until </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of her old students were leading comfortable lives after this war. Peaceful ones. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Little did Byleth know that tomorrow, shortly after the Battle of Gronder, something would happen that would trigger a change in Dimitri. And like most things, this trigger would come at a price.     </span>
</p>
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